Broadband technologies jumpstart rural economies

USTelecom, the nation’s leading trade association representing and promoting the interests of its members, broadband service providers and suppliers for the telecom industry (according to their site), states that as of 2015, about 4% of the US lacked a wired connection and .2% lacked wired or wireless connectivity.

This means not all Americans have the opportunity to enjoy the successes the internet can bring, nor the platform it can give for every voice to be heard.

This is a big problem.

The solution to bridging this digital divide is the investment in infrastructure and delivery of high-speed internet to everyone. The FCC’s rationale follows that by removing net neutrality, broadband providers can increase revenues through paid prioritization and therefore invest in infrastructure.

Per 249 of the FCC docket, “we expect that eliminating the ban on paid prioritization will help spur innovation and experimentation, encourage network investment, and better allocate the costs of infrastructure, likely benefiting consumers and competition.”

[. . .]

Giving everyone access to the internet is certainly a worthy goal, however placing the trust in that goal into the hands of broadband providers, accountable to stockholders and not the American people, is certainly misguided.